Displacement of villagers in Nohadra, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, escalates amid Turkish military escalation

NOHADRA, Iraq — The ongoing military conflict between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq has led to continued displacement of villagers in Nohadra (Dohuk).

Residents of Chembiki village, which has a majority Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian population, witnessed the deployment of Turkish soldiers in a neighboring village and were forced to leave their homes, fearing for their lives and property.

The Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian community has lived in this village for hundreds of years, but the ongoing conflict between the PKK and the Turkish forces has compelled them to abandon their properties in fear for their lives.

Rockets falling in Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian villages have caused damage to many houses and churches, prompting activists to demand the formation of a fact-finding committee and compensation for the affected and destroyed structures.

Seven villages with Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian populations in Nohadra (Dohuk) have been depopulated, and about 182 residents have been displaced due to the conflict. This war threatens mass displacement for more than 602 other villages in the region.